


Better Love

by jayemitch



Category: Chicago Fire
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-18
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:29:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28159071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jayemitch/pseuds/jayemitch
Summary: Their friends help them navigate the fall out from that kiss.
Relationships: Sylvie Brett & Matthew Casey, Sylvie Brett/Matthew Casey
Comments: 11
Kudos: 93





	Better Love

**Author's Note:**

> Hi Folks! Please be honest but gentle - this is my first time posting a FanFic in about 15 years, since my early 20s. I'm sure my writing is pretty rusty. Honestly, I haven't been enthralled enough with a show or couple to be creatively writing in years! But, I've loved watching the friendships that have developed on the whole Chicago series and the characters are actual people in my mind. And don't we all have those friendships/relationships/scenes we'd love to see play out in our head? 
> 
> I've been a Brett fan since she came on the scene way back when. I loved her warm personality and after a few seasons, truly saw her as the heart of the house based on how connected she was with each character. And, I love the friendship that has been built between her and Casey and can totally see them together for the long haul. 
> 
> And, because I can't wait until January, I may have already written another little story ... we'll see if anyone actually likes this one first!

* * *

* * *

* * *

“Did you hear when Casey come in last night?” Stella asked quietly. She and Severide were having breakfast and coffee. “I heard the door open at like five o’clock this morning.”

“Huh?” Kelly looked up from the paper distracted. She rolled her eyes and sighed.

“Did you hear,” She began again but was interrupted by Casey coming in the door. “Morning Casey. You’re up early.” She said conversationally.

“Yeah, I took a run to pick up some tools from storage and lumber supply.” Casey replied. “I know we talked about going up to the cabin next month to do the front porch, but if it’s okay with you, I thought I’d head up and get a start on it on my own.” He directed towards Kelly.

“Sure.” Kelly sat back. “I have those training sessions at the academy or I’d be there to help. If you want to wait a few days, I can go.”

“Nah, I need get out of town for a bit.” Casey shrugged. “Might as well get started.” He headed down towards his room to pack a bag.

“That was weird.” Stella whispered.

“I guess.” Kelly shrugged.

* * *

“Hey, there you are.” Stella looked up ask Brett arrived at the Girls on Fire basic first aid training course. She took one look at Brett and knew immediately something was up. “What’s wrong?”

“Everything.” Sylvie replied miserably. “Absolutely everything.”

“What happened?” Stella secured the ambo gurney wheels.

“I can’t get into it.” Sylvie shook her head. “If I do, I’ll start crying again and I literally just finally stopped and I’m just trying to hold it together.”

“Okay, fair.” Stella nodded. “Here’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to do this training session, let the teenager energy suck us in, and then we’ll talk.”

“Sure.” Brett nodded, grabbing the jump bag from the back of the ambulance.

* * *

“Kidd?” Joe opened his door and Kidd blew by him.

“Get dressed.” Kidd nodded at Joe but directed her comment at Chloe.

“To work out, go dancing or murder someone?” Chloe stood up immediately.

“It might be all three. We’ve got some serious girling to do.” Stella shook her head.

“So layers.” Chloe immediately headed down the hallway.

“What about our movie date?” Joe asked confused, looking back and forth between the two of them.

“Cancelled.” Stella confirmed.

* * *

“You guys.” Sylvie opened her door and leaned her head on it, staring at Stella and Chloe.

“We’ve got everything we need. Pizza, chocolate AND ice cream.” Chloe held up the boxes with grease seeping through.

“And the most important part, margaritas!” Stella grinned holding up the bags. “You took off when I was finishing up with the Girls on Fire and I knew you needed this.”

“I really do.” Sylvie stepped back.

“Okay girlfriend, spill.” Stella demanded. It didn’t take long until they were all settled in in Brett’s living room with snacks piled around them and ice cold margaritas.

“Before I do, remember, this is in the vault. No Severide or Cruz. I’m not kidding. I need you but I can’t do this and have to face everyone at work knowing.” Brett shook her head.

“Swear.” They replied in unison and Chloe even crossed her heart for emphasis.

“I’ve been struggling with my feelings for Matt for so long.” Brett started out. “And then the other night, we’re sitting at Molly’s and Gallow is going over the story, about how Casey jumped from the moving truck and was calling for me, and as I sat there staring at him, smiling back at me, and my whole world just clicked. I am hopelessly in love with Matt Casey and there is absolutely nothing I can do about it. I just gave up. I knew he could tell. I couldn’t sit there and smile like I wasn’t any more. I left, it was awkward, and then I spent all shift ignoring him because I just couldn’t look into his eyes and not see what I wanted to see any more.” Her voice broke. “Then last night, I had a couple glasses of wine, I decided I can’t do this to myself every day and before I knew it, I was filling out my transfer papers online.”

“NO.” Stella sat up. “You didn’t.”

“I didn’t have the chance to hit submit.” Sylvie shrugged. “There was a knock at my door. It was Matt, demanding to know what he did wrong. I felt bad that he felt he had done something wrong. I’m the one mixing everything up and ruining our friendship with these feelings. He hasn’t done anything to encourage me.”

“Or discourage you, I feel it’s important to add.” Stella interrupted.

“VERY important.” Chloe pointed out. “I’m not even in the house that often and yet I see the chemistry every time I see you. From both sides. He was throwing some serious vibes whether he admits it or not.”

“I don’t know what hit me, if it was the wine maybe but all I could do was confirm I was ignoring him so that I wouldn’t kiss him and then I did.” Brett said miserably.

“FINALLY.” Stella let out an exasperated sigh.

“That doesn’t sound bad.” Chloe arched a brow.

“It wasn’t bad at all. It felt so right. It surprised him, I think. Then, all of the sudden, he’s kissing me back and we’re on the couch and it’s better than everything I thought it would be and all of the sudden, I realized it was just pure happiness and I didn’t want to have it if I can’t keep it.” Sylvie took a breath as a tear fell down her cheek. “I had to ask about Gabby or I wouldn’t have been able to ever feel like he was really in it for me.”

“Oh, Brett.” Stella sat back.

“You don’t know because you didn’t know them together. They were next level love. They were completely committed to each other. They had a future they planned on, tried to start a family. He was honest at least.” Sylvie took a big drink. “He told me he hadn’t talked to her a long time and he’s wanted this for a long time too but he couldn’t tell me that it would be me.” She cried. “I’ve been through so much. So many men that have been a nice guy but not THE guy. I just want to be someone’s ONE. You told me, when it’s right, it’s right and you know, and all those rules go out the window. He can’t throw Gabby out the window with them. I can’t live under the shadow that if she comes back and snaps her fingers, I’m going to lose. So I made the decision right then and there, he’s never NOT going to be in love with Gabby. I told him I thought he should leave. And then when he did, I stared at those transfer papers and thought, I don’t want to leave and run again because a relationship. I did that. Twice now. I came back because 51 is my home. And, I realized that now that I know he’s always going to love her more and that I wouldn’t be his first choice, I’m not going to have that ‘what would it be like’ between us anymore and I can stay. It’ll be awkward for a while, but I’m sure that we’ll be able to work together and I won’t have to leave now that I know he’s always going to love her more.”

“Oh, honey, I think we may need straight tequila to dissect this.” Chloe shook her head and reached for the bottle.

“We’re going to finish this bottle, eat every single one of these calories, then work at making you smile until it doesn’t hurt.” Stella decided.

* * *

“Looks like you had a good night.” Kelly commented as Stella staggered into the apartment the next morning. She carefully made her way over to him and kissed him full on the lips.

“What was that for?” He asked her quietly when they broke apart. 

“Thank you for figuring it out, trying to be a better man and realizing we were better together.” She replied. “I’m lucky you figured it out.”

“I’m lucky you didn’t give up before I smartened up.” Severide pointed out.

“We’re both lucky then. And now, you’re going to go help your friend smarten up too, before he loses the one person who has always been there for him. Brett mentioned transfer papers. She didn’t do it, but 51 can’t lose her and Casey shouldn’t be that stupid to pass up literally THE perfect person for him.” She pulled back and stared at him in the eye. “Pack a bag, you’re going to the cabin.”

“I guess I’m going to the cabin.” Kelly sighed and pushed back his chair.

* * *

Kelly parked his car next to Matt’s truck. He climbed out, grabbing his bag and made his way towards the cabin where Matt was laying boards.

“I thought you had training?” Casey asked pointedly.

“I thought you looked like you needed a friend more.” Kelly shrugged. “And you were the only friend who was able to be there for me at a pretty dark place in my life, so here I am, when it looks like you’ve got some things to figure out.”

“Well, as long as you’re here to help, you can help get these posts in place.” Matt shrugged.

* * *

“What did you hear?” Matt asked later that evening. They had dug posts all afternoon and gotten started at framing out the deck just before dark. They had polished off a couple of steaks and they were sitting and staring at the fire with beers in their hands.

“Nothing.” Kelly answered honestly. “I figure it has something to do with Brett since Stella had a sleepover and came home pretty rough this morning, not to mention you’ve been staring after her a lot lately and, and oh yeah, jumped out of a moving truck to save her.”

“Kidd’s got a big mouth.” Matt shook his head.

“Are you kidding?” Kelly asked amused. “Kidd hasn’t said a damn word. Gallow’s been telling that story on repeat to anyone who’ll listen.”

“I didn’t think about it.” Matt shared. “I just saw the rig lying there, with the wheels spinning, the front all crushed in and I couldn’t see her. I just jumped.”

“I would have too.” Kelly shared. “If it was Stella. I would have jumped too.”

“It’s different.” Matt sighed.

“Is it though?” Kelly decided the direct approach was best. “Seriously man, how is it different? You obviously care a lot about her. You’ve been spending a lot of time with her. You drove her to meet her birth mom. You were there when her birth mom died. You were her first call when she was freaked out about the apartment. There’s something there Casey and I honestly don’t know why you’re resisting it.”

“I don’t know.” Matt shook his head. “Maybe it’s not so different.” He finally admitted it out loud. “She’s been on my mind for a while now. More than the last year, I’d say.” He cocked his head, trying to think back. “I don’t know how it happened. I just remember looking up one day when we were about to go into a bad one. I looked up and caught her eye and she was looking directly at me, worried. And once I got out of there, I just kept thinking about her face just before I went in, that she was so worried, about me.”

“I don’t think it’s a secret she cares about you Casey.” Severide told him quietly.

“Sylvie cares about everybody.” Matt shrugged.

“She does.” Severide agreed. “But I think it’s definitely more when it comes to you.”

“I almost made a fool of myself once. Boden told me I had to get a date to take to an event with him and Donna. I was just about to ask her but I got interrupted and then I heard her laughing and happy and teasing others and I felt like maybe I was just reading it wrong and I didn’t end up asking her.” Matt shared.

“So what changed?” Kelly asked.

“She’s had a crappy year. Losing Otis, getting engaged, moving home, splitting with the Chaplin, coming back, finding her mom, losing her mom, the baby so far away, all the close calls.” Matt recounted. “And I couldn’t stop thinking about how amazing she was navigating it all. How well she does her job, how much she truly cares about being a good person. And through each thing, I wanted to be there for her. I wanted to be the person to make it right for her. Or be beside her when she made it right for herself.”

“I think it changed when you had to think about another man marrying her.” Kelly told him honestly. “At least, I knew there was something there then. When she got engaged in front of you and you looked so confused and couldn’t say anything. It was like you were frozen in horror.”

“I was so mad at myself.” Casey admitted. “It was when that gun went off and I went to see the Chaplin. They had broken up and he asked about her. I told him she was fine and then proceeded to tell him how great she was. I think that was the first time I really realized I felt something more for her. When I looked at him in his eye and said, “She’s a great girl.” then wondered why I would tell him that. Then one night at Molly’s, I saw them together and I told her I was glad to see it and that they belonged together. The next day, they got engaged. Then she even told me it was what I said that convinced her to do it.”

“Why you would you do that?” Kelly asked.

“I don’t know. I think I was shook up because I was starting to realize I had feelings for her. And there were so many complications in Fire House relationships and her being with the Chaplin took away the option.” Matt shrugged.

“And Gabby.” Kelly decided he was going to just go for broke.

“That’s the funny thing. Yes, I realized the in house dating can be messy because of my marriage to Gabby, but Gabby never entered my mind when thinking about Sylvie. She wasn’t a factor. Isn’t.” He corrected. “Other than to realize how much I wanted to be with someone different. Someone as good hearted and kind as Sylvie.” Matt shared. “The other night, I went to her and it finally just clicked for both of us at the same time and out of nowhere, she brings up Gabby.”

“What did she say?” Kelly asked.

“She asked if Gabby came home tomorrow, would I leave Chicago with her.” Matt shook his head. “And I didn’t know how to answer.”

“Casey, come on. When Gabby came back earlier this year, you were smiling from ear to ear for weeks. She’s probably remembering that.” Kelly pointed out.

“She doesn’t have to compete with Gabby. Gabby’s out of the picture.” Matt slugged on his beer.

“Is she really?” Kelly countered. “She may be out of the current picture because she’s not in town but I think that Brett had the right to ask what if. Especially if this is something more than just scratching an itch. Which, for the record, I don’t think it should be. I think you guys are actually good for each other.” He took a deep breath before continuing. “Look Casey, when Gabby left I know it nearly destroyed you. It took you a year to sort out the separation and divorce. You weren’t the Casey we all know. You were bitter and in a bad mood a lot of the time. It was definitely for good reason though. It nearly destroyed you when the divorce was final and you realized she wasn’t coming back. I loved Gabby like anyone else at 51, but what she did to you last year was wrong in my opinion. Coming back, and stirring everything up again, keeping you on the hook, wasn’t good of her. It was selfish. She came back only to run away again to live her own life. Yes, she’s doing a good thing and helping people but she did it by ruining your marriage. She cost you a lot of time and heart ache. Brett would never do that anyone. She doesn’t have a mean bone in her body and she would never leave someone she cares about.”

* * *

“I can do this.” Sylvie muttered to herself in the mirror a few days later on the start of their swing. “The first shift will be hard but I can do this.” She blew a hair out of her eyes and tucked it behind her ear. She took a deep breath, straightened her back and headed out of the washroom and into the bull pen to pick up her radio to start shift. She signed the log, strapped the radio on and turned around to run smack dab into Casey’s chest.

“Oh, sorry!” She backed up as his hands came up to her arms to steady her. She shifted so they didn’t actually make contact as if his hands might actually burn her.

“Hi.” Matt noticed her shift and dropped his hands.

“Hi.” Brett nodded and dropped her eyes.

“Can we,” Casey began but was quickly interrupted by the alarms calling ambo, truck and Squad. There was no point in finishing the sentence as they both turned and hustled to the bay floor. As everyone began suiting up and climbing in, Brett strapped into her seat and as always, was first out in route.

“Well, that went well.” Brett sighed with a puff.

* * *

It was hours later before she backed the ambulance back into the bay. It had been a bad wreck and after they had triaged, transported a complicated case to Med. Then, there were two consecutive calls back to back.

“Welcome back 61.” Joe smiled from Squad’s table. “Nice of you to remember where home was.”

“Food.” Mackey announced. “I need real food.”

“I put you each a plate of dinner away.” Joe grinned. “I knew you’d be hungry.”

“You’re the best.” Sylvie patted his shoulder as she went by. “I’m going to go wash up. I’ll meet you at the table.” She directed at Mackey, heading down the hall to the washrooms. Kidd stuck her head in and looked around before she spoke.

“Did you talk to him yet?” She asked conspiratorially.

“No more than anyone else on scene.” Brett shook her head. “Come on, walk with me to the table so I don’t have to do it alone.”

“I got you, but you’re going to have to do it sooner or later.” Kidd turned looping her arm around Sylvie.

“I can put it off as long as I can.” Sylvie shrugged, quickening her steps.

* * *

“Chief, I finished the incident reports and they’re all logged.” Casey knocked on Boden’s office door.

“Thanks Lieutenant.” Boden acknowledged. “Casey, is everything okay?” Boden asked before Casey turned away. “I’ve noticed you’ve been a little quiet the last couple of shifts.”

“I’ve got some things to sort out.” Casey confirmed. “It’s been a strange couple of days.”

“Anything I can help out with?” Boden offered.

“I don’t think anyone really can.” Casey shrugged his shoulders.

“Matt, listen. I’m guessing it’s got something to do with a certain paramedic after I read the incident report and heard Gallo’s version of events. As chief, I’m not condoning an in-house relationship but you’ve already proven that you can be professional and make that work.” Boden was honest with him. “As a friend, I will tell you this. I was a confirmed bachelor for a long time before Donna came into my life and I thought it was a good life. I was so very wrong. My only regret is that I wish we could have gotten started on our happiness a lot sooner. Life is much better when you have someone who makes you happy just to be with them.”

“Thanks Chief.” Matt said after a few seconds, letting the Chief’s words sink in.

“I hope it helps. You’re a good captain and an even better person Matt. You deserve that peace and happiness.” Boden nodded to him as Casey turned and headed out the door.

He headed back through the bull pen and noticed some lights on in the bay. He wandered over and watched Brett through the windows, stocking the ambulance methodically, checking and rechecking lists.

“Have you talked to her yet?” Kelly asked, coming up behind him. Casey just shook his head. “You’ve got to decide if it’s worth going after it at some point Casey.” Kelly backed away down the hall.

* * *

“Morning.” Casey met Brett in the hallway the next morning.

“Morning.” Brett forced a smile and was going to continue down the hall but Casey reached out and touched her arm, stopping her.

“Can we talk?” Casey cocked his head towards his quarters.

“Casey, there’s no need.” Sylvie tried to assure him.

“Please.” Casey tried again, staring into her eyes.

“Okay.” Sylvie nodded and made her way into his space ahead of him. She turned and paced the small room when he closed the door. “Matt, it’s okay.”

“Will you please look at me?” He asked since she was looking everywhere but at him. When their eyes finally connected, he continued. “I need you to know, my feelings for you are real, regardless of Gabby.” He strongly stated.

“That’s the thing Matt, there’s no regardless of Gabby.” Brett shook her head. “Not for me.”

“I can’t turn back the clock and erase my past with Gabby.” Casey’s shoulders fell.

“I’m not asking you to do that Matt.” Sylvie looked at him carefully. “I’m not asking you to forget the whole relationship. I had a front row seat to your relationship and know how much you two loved each other.” She sighed. “What I needed to be sure of was that you’re actually ready to move on a start a future and she would stay in the past. I can’t fall any more in love with you, Matt Casey, and then get hurt down the road if she comes back and asks you to leave. It would hurt me too much.”

“I can’t guarantee she’s not going to show up again Sylvie.” Matt said quietly. “But I can assure you that I have no plans of following Gabby on one of her crusades. Chicago is my home. 51 is my home and you are the heart of this house.” He moved towards her as he spoke. “I don’t know where this, this us, is going but I know that I really want the chance to figure out if I’m good enough to be your future.” He pulled her closer to him and his eyes burned into her soul.

“Casey, I need to you to be sure.” Sylvie said after a heavy minute. “Because I’m pretty sure you are the man for me and I don’t want to fall completely in love with you only to find out you can’t love me back because you’re still in love with her.” She pleaded.

“I’m always going to have love for Gabby but it’s been a long time since I was in love with her Sylvie.” Casey’s voice was raw. “And I want to find out how much better being in love with you is.” His lips sought out hers and he kissed her, hoping to prove it to her.


End file.
